AdAge published a story yesterday that speculated about the forthcoming Microsoft search engine, allegedly to be called “Bing.” Here’s the essential information:
The software giant is set to launch an $80 million to $100 million campaign for Bing, the search engine it hopes will help it grab a bigger slice of the online ad market. That’s a big campaign — big compared with consumer-product launches ($50 million is considered a sizable budget for a national rollout) and very big when you consider that Google spent about $25 million on all its advertising last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence, with about $11.6 million of that focused on recruiting. Microsoft, by comparison, spent $361 million. Certainly Google has never faced an ad assault of anything like this magnitude.
JWT has been tapped for the push, which will include online, TV, print and radio.
Say you’re at JWT, what would the campaign look like? Would you go directly after Google or not? Would you use humor? This is a huge creative challenge. I’m curious to know what your “messaging” might be.
Screenwerk 
May 26, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Greg…
MSFT can spend x$$ on messaging and marketing….but in the end, the product MUST DELIVER (period). Whatever MSFT has up it’s sleeve (BING/Kuno) had better be pretty darn good and be able to hold its own against the innovations of Gs search. Otherwise, the futility of throwing money at the problem will be exposed by ‘search’ thought leaders.
Remember, there are a plethora of influential bloggers (like yourself) who will jump on this as an expensive ‘stunt’ if the hype fails to meet expectations.
My ideas would center more on efforts from MSFT to court SEO experts, the people in the trenches trying to get their clients traffic. When I say court them, I mean COURT them. Invite many of the influential bloggers, search experts (SEOs) and Internet thought leaders to an exclusive sneak peek luncheon or something. (heck, I’m not a social marketing expert, but I understand the mileage you can get out of popping for an expensive lunch)
1.Make more usable tools for them (look what Google did with webmaster tools, Local Business Center etc.)
2.Maybe loosen up search algorythm a bit to make getting SEO traction a bit easier. Google has been notorious in changing their algorithms just when SEOs had refined methodologies…..BANG! Google changes it on them. Peruse some SEO forums and you’ll see how Google gets a beating on this topic.
3. Search for Google’s weak points in how their users view them and concentrate on dominating G in those spots.
In the end though, after the champagne lunches and media folderoll, there must be a product that is better than what other search engines are offering. (my 2 cents)
May 26, 2009 at 8:45 pm
As I wrote in my blog yesterday, I would go Pepsi Challenge on Google because of search engine parity.